TED Talks
TED: We can start winning the war against cancer | Adam de la Zerda
Learn about the latest advances in the war against cancer from Stanford researcher Adam de la Zerda, who's working on some cutting-edge techniques of his own. using a remarkable imaging technology that illuminates cancer-seeking gold...
TED Talks
James Logan: How we're using dogs to sniff out malaria
What if we could diagnose some of the world's deadliest diseases by the smells our bodies give off? In a fascinating talk and live demo, biologist James Logan introduces Freya, a malaria-sniffing dog, to show how we can harness the...
TED Talks
TED: A new weapon in the fight against superbugs | David Brenner
Since the widespread use of antibiotics began in the 1940s, we've tried to develop new drugs faster than bacteria can evolve -- but this strategy isn't working. Drug-resistant bacteria known as superbugs killed nearly 700,000 people last...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Could one vaccine protect against everything? | TED-Ed
There's a vaccine being developed now that would protect you against every strain of the flu— even ones that don't exist yet. But influenza is constantly mutating, so is a universal vaccine even possible? And how do you design a vaccine...
TED Talks
Romina Libster: The power of herd immunity
How do vaccines prevent disease -- even among people too young to get vaccinated? It's a concept called "herd immunity," and it relies on a critical mass of people getting their shots to break the chain of infection. Health researcher...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How do ventilators work?
In the 16th century, physician Andreas Vesalius described how a suffocating animal could be kept alive by inserting a tube into its trachea and blowing air to inflate its lungs. Today, Vesalius’s treatise is recognized as the first...
TED Talks
Richard Weller: Could the sun be good for your heart?
Our bodies get Vitamin D from the sun, but as dermatologist Richard Weller suggests, sunlight may confer another surprising benefit too. New research by his team shows that nitric oxide, a chemical transmitter stored in huge reserves in...
TED Talks
TED: The hidden role informal caregivers play in health care | Scott Williams
Once a cared-for patient and now a caregiver himself, Scott Williams highlights the invaluable role of informal caregivers -- those friends and relatives who, out of love, go the extra mile for patients in need. From personal care to...
TED Talks
TED: This tiny particle could roam your body to find tumors | Sangeeta Bhatia
What if we could find cancerous tumors years before they can harm us -- without expensive screening facilities or even steady electricity? Physician, bioengineer and entrepreneur Sangeeta Bhatia leads a multidisciplinary lab that...
TED Talks
TED: How we'll fight the next deadly virus | Pardis Sabeti
When ebola broke out in March 2014, Pardis Sabeti and her team got to work sequencing the virus's genome, learning how it mutated and spread. Sabeti immediately released her research online, so virus trackers and scientists from around...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Why is it so hard to cure the common cold? | TED-Ed
On average, adults catch more than 150 colds throughout their lives. Even with similar symptoms, the cause could be different each time. Common colds are caused by at least 8 different families of virus, each of which can have its own...
TED Talks
TED: How to create a world where no one dies waiting for a transplant | Luhan Yang
For nearly half a century, scientists have been trying to create a process for transplanting animal organs into humans, a theoretical dream that could help the hundreds of thousands of people in need of a lifesaving transplant. But the...
TED Talks
TED: How to tackle the stigma of living with HIV | Gareth Thomas
After his HIV diagnosis, former pro rugby player Gareth Thomas set out on a mission to tackle the stigma and shame that prevent people from getting the testing and care they need. In this empowering talk, Thomas shares his mission to...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Why do you get a fever when you're sick? | Christian Moro
There are many mysteries around fever, but we do know that all mammals, some birds and even a few invertebrate and plant species feel fever's heat. It has persisted for over 600 million years of evolution. But it has a significant cost:...
TED Talks
TED: Good news in the fight against pancreatic cancer | Laura Indolfi
Anyone who has lost a loved one to pancreatic cancer knows the devastating speed with which it can affect an otherwise healthy person. TED Fellow and biomedical entrepreneur Laura Indolfi is developing a revolutionary way to treat this...
TED-Ed
Ugly History: The US syphilis experiment | Susan M. Reverby
Afflicting nearly 1 in 10 Americans, syphilis was ravaging the U.S. in the 1930s. Many doctors believed syphilis affected Black and white patients differently, and the Public Health Service launched an experiment to investigate,...
TED Talks
Bill Gates: Mosquitos, malaria and education
Bill Gates hopes to solve some of the world's biggest problems using a new kind of philanthropy. In a passionate and, yes, funny 18 minutes, he asks us to consider two big questions and how we might answer them. (And see the Q&A on the...
TED Talks
TED: A new way to study the brain's invisible secrets | Ed Boyden
Neuroengineer ed Boyden wants to know how the tiny biomolecules in our brains generate emotions, thoughts and feelings -- and he wants to find the molecular changes that lead to disorders like epilepsy and Alzheimer's. Rather than...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How the COVID-19 vaccines were created so quickly | Kaitlyn Sadtler and Elizabeth Wayne
In the 20th century, most vaccines took over a decade to research, test, and produce. But the vaccines for COVID-19 were cleared for emergency use in less than 11 months. The secret behind this speed is a medical technology that's been...
TED Talks
Siddhartha Mukherjee: Soon we'll cure diseases with a cell, not a pill
Current medical treatment boils down to six words: Have disease, take pill, kill something. But physician Siddhartha Mukherjee points to a future of medicine that will transform the way we heal.
SciShow
Will There Ever be a Cure for the Common Cold?
Medicine has made leaps and bounds in treating illnesses in the last century, but are they ever going to get around to curing the common cold? We might be closer than you think.
TED Talks
TED: How digital DNA could help you make better health choices | Jun Wang
What if you could know exactly how food or medication would impact your health -- before you put it in your body? Genomics researcher Jun Wang is working to develop digital doppelgangers for real people; they start with genetic code, but...
TED Talks
Mark Kendall: Demo: A needle-free vaccine patch that's safer and way cheaper
One hundred sixty years after the invention of the needle and syringe, we're still using them to deliver vaccines; it's time to evolve. Biomedical engineer Mark Kendall demos the Nanopatch, a one-centimeter-by-one-centimeter square...
SciShow
Factitious Disorder: Why People Fake Serious Illness
You might have faked being sick to avoid doing something unpleasant. However, for people with the factitious disorder, faking illness isn't quite so straightforward.